Turn On The Lights
by Saudade
Summary: It is sixth year. What happenes when Hermione finds out that an event that occured fours years ago, is about to turn her world completely blank ... literally? [Chapter two is up. Horrified screams sound from above.]
1. Blurry

Harry Potter and all the respective characters belong completely to Jo Rowling. I am merely a flee with ideas. 

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'Alright, Ms Granger, cover your left eye please,' said Madam Pomfrey. 'Can you read those letters for me?'

Hermione looked from Madam Pomfrey to the large piece of parchement hanging on the Hospital Wing walls, and began to read.

'T, O, Z, ... K, H, L, ... M, N, F, ... U ... E ...Ess?' Hermione squinted hard, but failed to making out the last few rows of letters.

'Mmm,' Madam Pomfrey grunted, then scribbled on her clipboard, 'just as I thought Ms Granger.'

'And you thought ... what?' said Hermione, reluctant to how much the nurse was acting like Professor Umbridge.

'You need glasses dear girl! Why have your parents never taken you to get your eyes checked?'

Hermione pulled a sour look, and glanced at the floor. Eyes never really were a main priority in the Granger household - teeth were always first and foremost.

'I remember,' said Hermione, clearing her throat, 'maybe - well, years ago before I attended Hogwarts, Mum and Dad took me the an Optom -'

'Optomatrix, yes yes, a type of the muggle healer. Please continue,' Madam Pomfrey interrupted disdainfully.

'R - right, Optomatrix,' said Hermione oddly, trying desperately not to correct the nurse. 'Anyway, I think I was about nine or ten. But I clearly recall the eye doctor saying my vision was 20/20.'

'Eyes don't stop developing until you reach the age of twenty or so - and even then eye sight is still progressive.' said Madame Pomfrey while clicking her quill against her chin. 'I can almost accurately say that your vision began to get bad about four years ago. Though, it appears that the most vision loss has occured in the past year.'

Hermione froze. Four years ago? I was in my second year four years ago. What could have happened ... ?

Madam Pomfrey saw the worry in Hermione's face and added, 'My dear, it'll be alright. We can order you a lovely pair of spectacles, and you will be just fine.

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Hermione left the Hospital Wing at around 7:00pm. She knew Harry and Ron would be waiting for her inside the common room. She'd promised to assist them on their Astronomy essays.

She walked slowly down the corridor leading to the Gryffindor common room. Her mind was truely somewhere else. She hated the thought that her eye sight wasn't perfect. She hated the idea of having glasses. Harry was the only person she could see wearing glasses - and even so, she knew very well that Harry couldn't see a thing without them. Was that how she was going to turn out? Was that how things were going to be for the rest of her life?

To Hermione's own astonishment, she could feel her eyes getting heavy with tears, but refused to release them. She could now feel pressure in her head getting stronger.

'Breathe, just breathe,' she reassured herself, while taking deep breaths. She then pulled out a handkercheif from her robes and aired her eyes out in a sad attempt to dry them. 'Pull yourself together now. What would Harry and Ron think if they saw me blubbering over such a silly thing?'

Before Hermione knew it, she was already infront of the Portriat hole.

'Password?' said the Fat Lady.

'Green ch - ch - chair,' Hermione said, beginning to sob. The Fat Lady proceeded to open the door.

'W - wait!' Hermione shouted, while hastily fanning her puffy eyes.

'What is it?' said the Fat Lady, thoroughly surprised.

'Just a moment ... please.' Hermione knew she needed a few more minutes to calm down. Sliding down the wall onto the floor, she breathed deeply for a while longer and waited until the pressure in her head subsided.

'Are you ready yet?' said the Fat Lady, slightly indignated.

'Ok. Yes,' said Hermione, clearing her throat as she got up off the floor. 'Green chair.'

The Portriat hole opened once more, and Hermione walked through. The light of the common room made her eyes sting faintly. She lifted her sleeves and put pressure to her eyes to relieve the stinging.

'Oi, Hermione!'

Hermione removed her sleeves from her face and turned to see Harry and Ron infront of the fireplace, books and all. They looked oddly different though ... a bit blurry.

'Where in the bloody hell have you been?' said Ron pointing to his watch, who looked as if he had been waiting for hours.

'Don't be so bluntly thick Ron,' said Hermione back, almost just as nasty. She rubbed her eyes a bit more. 'You know I went to the Hospital Wing. Please forgive me if I happen to find my health much more important than doing your essay for you.'

'Oh? So promises mean nothing to you then?' spat Ron, ignoring her discomfort.

Hermione tried to ignore Ron, and the obvious fact that he hadn't even cared to asked if she was alright. She looked at Harry who's face was very close to his parchement. 'Well Harry? Do you have anything to say? Ron's had a go, don't you want one now?' She felt a fight coming on, and didn't really care to avoid it.

'Nope,' said Harry indifferently, still glued to his parchement.

'Really Harry, must you put your face so close to it? You have glasses for heaven's sa - '

Hermione stopped suddenly, and looked into the fireplace. For she knew, that she too would soon have glasses.

'Hermione?' said Ron. 'Er, what is it?'

Hermione squnited. She was afraid to tear her eyes away from the flames for fear that she would start crying again. She took another deep breath, and turned to them. Their faces suddenly became blurrier than they were before ...

'Goodnight,' she said, pulling the biggest, fakest smile she could. And with that, she turned on her heal, and headed up to the girl's dormitory.

'Hermione!' Ron yelled, frantically waving his blank piece of parchement. 'What the - Harry, she's supposed to be helping us here! How could she just run off like that?'

Harry shrugged, watching Hermione's robes disappear up the stairs.

'I've come to terms with not being able to understand girls, Ron,' said Harry. 'It's about time you did too.'

A/N _Yeah, that's it for now. It's weird isn't it? It's a much bigger deal than it seems ... I guess we'll see. Chapter two will be coming soon. I'd love you see your reviews._


	2. Ethereailty

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, I wouldn't be sitting here in my old office chair, writing these crap stories.**

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Hermione lay in bed that night constantly rubbing her eyes. Whether it was some sort of pshyco-sematic effect from Madam Pomfrey telling her that her vision was declining, or if something was happening to her right there and then.

Guilt was also filling her mind from snapping at Ron and Harry earlier that night. 'Ron could have been a little more sensitive to my feelings though ...' she thought to herself.

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Hermione woke up that morning thinking the time was at least 7:00 am, but when she opened her eyes the room was still pitch black. In fact, it was so much darker than she expected, that she scared herself.

Still laying back, she waved her hand infront of her face to see if she could see it, but made no avail. Her heart began to race in her throat. She had never felt so much darkness in her life ...

'Hermione?' said a voice.

Hermione recognised it as Ginny's.

'What are you doing?' Ginny asked.

'Oh! Ginny!' said Hermione in relief. 'I'm glad you're here. Could you turn on a light or something please, it's so dark in here. I can't see a thing.'

Ginny raised her eyebrow at Hermione and looked around.

'Uhm ... Hermione -'

'Ginny, please just turn on the light. I know it's late, but I'm getting a little shaken up here.'

'Hermione ... it's 7:30 in the morning,' said Ginny carefully. 'It's daylight ...'

Hermione shot up from her bed. Her heart continued to beat faster and faster. She was now frantically waving her hands infront of her face. Ginny had to be joking ... she was kidding.

'Ok, Ginny,' said Hermione with slight indignation. 'It was a little funny at first, but now I'm not kidding. Please turn on the lights!'

Ginny didn't know what to do. Her eyes wided at the sudden realisation that Hermione couldn't see anything.

She was blind.

Hermione's breathing increased as she tried to get out of bed, spastically feeling around for something to hold onto.

'Ginny ...' she breathed hard, still feeling around. She moved towards the sound of Ginny's breath, but tripped over a pile of someone's books. 'GINNY PLEASE!' she cried, 'Turn them on! Do it! It's not funny anymore!'

The girls on Hermione's floor were beginning come up the stairs to see what all the commotion was. Hermione could hear them.

'Someone ... ' Hermione sounded as if she was hyperventilating, 'Someone please, turn them on. I -can't - see ... '

Ginny's face screwed up with sadness of the sight that was infront of her. She approached Hermione, who was on her hands and knees.

Hermione wanted so desperately to see something, anything. Even Ron's stupid face, or Harry's boringly indifferent expressions. Anything but this. This was unbearable.

'Hermione ...' said Ginny inbetween supressed sobs. 'Hermione, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.'

Ginny touched Hermione's shaking shoulder, and Hermione grabbed her arm. She held on tight, she wouldn't let go.

'No,' said Hermione, wide-eyed and completely pertfied. 'No ... no ... please no, this can't be real,' she whispered. '... GINNY TURN ON THE LIGHTS!'

Suddenly Hermione's blood curdleing shrieks filled the entire Gryffindor dormitory. The girls standing around her were holding onto eachother, both scared and anguished. They knew not what to do or say.

Loud thumping sounds were beginning to come from the staircase. The sounds continued, but no one appeared.

'It's probably the boys trying to get up here ...' whispered one of the girls, who couldn't seem tear her eyes away from Hermione, who was screaming and crying hysterically into Ginny's robes.

'What's happening up there?'called a voice that came from down the staircase. 'We can't get up! What's going on?' It was Harry's voice mingled with Ron's, and a few other guy's yells.

'GET PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL STRAIGHT AWAY!' Ginny yelled with outmost horror in her voice. She tried to comfort Hermione by strocking the top of her head, though Hermione's clammy face continued to convulsefearfully against Ginny's chest. Her shrieks became raspy, but continued ever on.

Through the brick walls, and down the damp stairs, Harry and Ron ran as fast as they could to reach Professor McGonagall, not even knowing what had happened a few floors above. All they knew was that those screams belonged to their dear friend Hermione, and that something had gone terribly wrong ...

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_A/N Well, I suppose this chapter was much more serious and emotional. I can't even start to imagine the horrors one faces when they realise they have gone blind. I tried my best to describe it though, hopefully it was alright. Stay tuned for Chapter Three ... _

P.S - Thanks to the ones that reviewed my First Chapter, it means a lot to me to get feedback.


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